Hemp Yields: All About the Harvest

The hemp market is growing at a fast pace ever since the 2018 Farm Bill made it legal in all 50 states. After these new laws, many farmers have started to grow hemp, whether for seed, fiber or CBD, to participate in this new and sustainable economy.

Whether you are a curious consumer looking to grow your own hemp or an entrepreneur thinking of getting into the hemp market, this article will walk you through the basics of hemp harvesting, focusing on hemp flower growing. Before jumping into some specifications of the cultivation of the flower, let’s take a look at some numbers.

While you are waiting for your own harvest, check out some of our top selling hemp flower strains here:

Hemp Flower Yield per Plant

Hemp yields can vary depending on the type of seeds. Some cross-breed seeds will produce higher hemp yields, since they grow much bigger and produce more buds than a regular hemp plant. However, it is always better to opt for organic hemp seeds. These ones will produce almost a pound of hemp flower if the harvesting conditions are optimal.

Another important aspect to highlight is the CBD content of the bud, since this compound is the one that provides all the benefits of the flower. One gram of hemp flower contains between 100 to 200mg of CBD, so the higher the CBD level is, the more profits it is going to bring in.

Hemp Flower Yield per Acre

Hemp yields per acre depend on the type of environment in which the hemp plant was grown. Indoor-grown hemp flower is more convenient for those who produce high-quality hemp products, because they are constantly overseen and have better climate control. On the other hand, outdoor methods are better for companies who don’t sell hemp flower as their main product.

In normal conditions, indoor-grown hemp flower produces 2.500 pounds per acre. Some companies have shown amazing levels of hemp yields using high-level equipment to control their crops in order to achieve higher yields of hemp flower. Although this method can turn out to be costly, due to the several items needed to install an indoor harvest, the result is a quality hemp flower with great levels of CBD that are most likely to thrive in the market.

So now that you know the average hemp flower yield that is produced, it is important to know this product has gained so much attention from farmers. Besides the great profits it can bring in, hemp is actually a very versatile plant to sow. It can grow almost anywhere in the world because it doesn’t need large amounts of water and the type of soil is not a big deal as long as it has good draining properties.

Above we mentioned indoor-grown hemp to be much better than outdoor-grown methods. This is true due to several needs of hemp plants. In the first place, hemp responds better to higher levels of UVA and UVB light. However, these are impossible to control in an outdoor field, since the seasons change and the weather will not be optimal every day. With the use of LED grow lights, it’s possible to provide illumination in the right frequency that hemp needs to thrive.

In addition, terpenes develop much better in indoor spaces because they receive more attention for farmers. Even though outdoor-grown hemp produces higher yields of CBD, terpenes do not develop properly, which reduce the quality of the bud. There’s also more control over the soil and products used to moisturize it, and outdoor-grown hemp can be easily contaminated by other harvests around. Even if you don’t use pesticides, you don’t know if your neighbor does.

Normally, hemp is cultivated between May and June, and the buds are ready to harvest towards October. After 8 to 10 weeks, these plants are ready to harvest, with their trichomes creating a fine layer that enhances the overall experience of hemp flower consumption.

Farmers pay special attention to how wet the flower is, since the weight can make them fall and bruise. Hemp plants grow between 6 to 15 feet in height, so it is important to make some space between the seeds to avoid branches from rubbing each other and end up buckling.

In terms of maintenance, it all depends on the type of product that is going to be produced. Hemp fiber and seeds do not require much care and can be cultivated at a large scale using the right equipment. However, when it comes to the flower, it has to be harvested by hand. For instance, 15 people would cover an area of 5 or 6 acres in a small farm, but the more the merrier, since it is important to select high quality hemp flowers only.

In order to have higher hemp yields, these plants receive the same care given to premium cannabis. Even during the drying, curing and storage stages, hemp flowers are subject to high quality control. Air flow is key to a high quality drying process, and it can be done almost anywhere you can easily control the environment. This phase is one of the most important, since it can determine the final quality of the bud.

When it comes to profits, wholesale hemp flower tends to yield approximately $160 to $250 per pound. Growing organic hemp also expands the range of products you can produce, since there are many consumers interested in the more natural health benefits it provides. With a market that is constantly expanding, the sooner you start to invest in hemp growing, the more likely you are to benefit from the high demand for it.

Even though hemp is one of the most ancient crops to ever be cultivated by mankind, the prejudices and lack of information about this herb made growing cannabis a forbidden activity. For this reason, there are still lots of doubts regarding its harvesting, and farmers are all learning on the go about the best ways of delivering quality hemp products.

At Botany Farms, we make sure our craft cannabis provides all the properties of this amazing plant, using high-quality methods of harvesting to create our products. If you want to know what a good hemp flower looks like, check out our CBD flower and enjoy the experience.